Amy Winehouse
Born: September 14, 1983
Known for: An arresting contralto, a wild self-destructive streak.
Amy, Amy, Amy. The troubled singer, whose nicotine-and-whiskey-scraped contralto evokes the great jazz singers of the '40s and '50s and conveys a world-weariness far beyond her years, regularly name-checks flawless-voiced bop diva Sarah Vaughan, but seems singularly dedicated to following the tragic career path of a another jazz leading lady, Billie Holiday, whose drug habits, taste for questionable men and self-destructive tendencies led to her premature undoing. Amy's already got all that under her belt, and she's only 25. Her looks are now ravaged and ruined by booze, smack, crack and cigarettes, but back in the days of her debut album, 2003's neo-soul-informed jazz record Frank, Amy Winehouse was happy, healthy, tattoo-free and curvy as a bagel, looking for all the world like the consummate London Jewish princess and sexy bebop hepkitty. Can we have that Amy back, before we don't any Amy at all?
